Bicycle Infrastructure

[orangevening]

I'm seeing the orange Nice Rides in Frogtown too.

[exiled_antipodean]

Its not a obsession, just makes intuitive sense because DT is to the right and there are freaking bike lanes painted right to those stairs. Plus you have thousands of inexperienced bikers on campus who probably never rode a bike in a big city before (I was one of them)

I was wrong. I walked down the offending stairs today, and while (heading down the stairs) there's a building to the right, to the left is a beautifully manicured garden that I believe is probably appreciated by about 2 people ever, since it abuts a parking lot and fronts a basement window. Putting a ramp in would be geometrically pretty easy here, and you'd then be facing the right direction to go the easiest way round the field and onto the bridge.

[MNdible]

Remember that ramps will need to be accessible, and that they'll take up much more space than you think they will.

[Realstreets]

On the topic of disappearing bike lanes: N 2nd Street between 10th Ave and 8th Ave S (in front of Solhavn) is being reconstructed (?). The bike lane disappears into a sea of orange cones...

[twincitizen]

Perhaps nothing is likely to happen until the U decides how (and if) they want to develop that surface parking lot. U area bicycle advocates (and the Mpls Bike Coalition) should stay tuned whenever something does come about for that parcel. Ideally the issue would be resolved then.

MNdible, are you sure the route would have to be accessible to wheelchairs? It's explicitly a bike route, not a pedestrian ramp. The official "accessible route" from a handicapped space in the parking lot (or from 19th Ave, 7 Corners, etc.) is to the front door of the Law School, facing that cul-de-sac.

It seems the ideal bike route would be a ramp that leads directly from the Washington Ave bridge plaza down to 21st Avenue (roughly), instead of snaking between Willey Hall and Anderson Library.

[seanrichardryan]

Perhaps they could develop a Washington avenue on that lot.

[MNdible]

MNdible, are you sure the route would have to be accessible to wheelchairs? It's explicitly a bike route, not a pedestrian ramp. The official "accessible route" from a handicapped space in the parking lot (or from 19th Ave, 7 Corners, etc.) is to the front door of the Law School, facing that cul-de-sac.

You might be able to make an argument that this is the case, but if somebody in a wheelchair hurts themselves going down a ramp that's too steep, there's a building full of lawyers next door that might be interested. In general, the U is very conservative, both in terms of safety and also in making real efforts to be truly compliant with ADA.

[grant1simons2]

My story is that I'm currently stuck in the burbs because I legally can't move to my own place. I biked allll over before I had my license. Minneapolis at least 3 times a week. This is my first summer with a car and wow there are so many freedoms. Although I love biking a lot and it's an awesome form of transportation sometimes people need a car, even in the city. When you need to carry some more stuff or transport some friends, not everyone wants to do it by bike. I would probably still buy a car after I graduate from college because they're very useful, probably a Tesla model III which is going to be about $25,000. Anyways, although biking should be more popular we shouldn't shun people who are more comfortable with driving, we don't know their story.

[Nathan]

My story is that I'm currently stuck in the burbs because I legally can't move to my own place. I biked allll over before I had my license. Minneapolis at least 3 times a week. This is my first summer with a car and wow there are so many freedoms. Although I love biking a lot and it's an awesome form of transportation sometimes people need a car, even in the city. When you need to carry some more stuff or transport some friends, not everyone wants to do it by bike. I would probably still buy a car after I graduate from college because they're very useful, probably a Tesla model III which is going to be about $25,000. Anyways, although biking should be more popular we shouldn't shun people who are more comfortable with driving, we don't know their story.

Good public Transit system plus bike infrastructure = freedom as well (basically all of Europe) It's really frustrating to see people give cars an easy pass when you have seen other systems where people exercise their freedoms just fine without.

[exiled_antipodean]

If they wanted to put a ramp in, they have nearly the whole length of the law-school to run it down. You wouldn't even need a hairpin turn, and then you'd be at the western edge of the carpark, head right and down to Bridge 9 or the tunnel.

Pretty sure a ramp of any steepness is safer for wheelchairs than the current stairs

[David Greene]

Pretty sure a ramp of any steepness is safer for wheelchairs than the current stairs

But that's not how it works. ADA has very specific design guidelines that must be adhered to. People in wheelchairs literally dragged themselves up the steps of the U.S. Capitol to make that happen. ADA is not to be taken lightly.

[FISHMANPET]

I can't confirm with Google Streetview, but I think there might be a lift at the staircase for handicapped people, but I could be totally way off base on that.

[Suburban Outcast]

Good public Transit system plus bike infrastructure = freedom as well (basically all of Europe) It's really frustrating to see people give cars an easy pass when you have seen other systems where people exercise their freedoms just fine without.

I agree, especially from a financial standpoint. I drive basically everywhere, but it's not necessarily "freedom" to me. Walking or cycling seems to give the most freedom as you aren't relying on much other things than your shoes, pathway/grass, and/or a good bike and a decent lock. I have to agree with Bill Lindeke that cycling is actually quite fiscally conservative compared to cars. Cars allow "freedom" with a high cost imo. Or maybe those "Freedom isn't free" bumper stickers are correct lol

I do like driving, but I am doing it mostly both out of necessity and convenience (I don't really want to bike due to my crappy feet (I was born with clubfeet) to the U or take an hour-long bus ride from my house) rather than to be free.

[Minneapolisite]

I've lived for over 2 1/2 years in Mpls and haven't needed a car. What I need are more bikways and high-frequency bus routes, that's about it really. I don't need a license to ride my bike, I don't need to buy insurance for it, I don't need an expensive monthly payment plan with an auto dealer, I don't need to pay for gas, I don't need to pay thousands for repairs, I feel pretty damn free with my bike and mass transit (where it works well). About the only thing I'd use a car for is an occasional trip out of the cities: Duluth, a state park, Grand Marais, Eau Claire, and what not. Otherwise, it's a pain in the ass I couldn't imagine putting up with living in Loring.

[mulad]

The big note of caution I need to give about the freedom of car ownership is that there are big populations who are either unable to drive or shouldn't be behind the wheel -- kids especially, but also the elderly and a variety of folks with medical issues or problems with paying attention to the road. When there's a car-dependent landscape, we end up having people driving who really shouldn't be, which ends up being dangerous for those drivers/occupants and for whoever is in their path.

From a personal economic standpoint, cars are often good because they allow access to jobs that aren't easily reachable by walking, biking, or transit, and of course let drivers buy cheaper goods at big-box retailers out on the fringe. But it doesn't look like that model is sustainable in the long term for whole cities and regions, and there are individuals and families who clearly aren't making ends meet with their cars. If you're unable to pay to fill your gas tank the whole way, can't sustain insurance payments, or don't have the cash to repair that hole in the exhaust manifold, I think the odds are that your car is hurting your personal wealth rather than helping.

I think suburbs will always exist and cars will be around for the foreseeable future, but they will be dialed back.

[talindsay]

Also bars with parking lots instead of transit stops, cab stands, walkable neighborhoods, etc. A freeway bar (think SLP) is a nightmare because it expects, assumes, and invites behavior, with people driving who really shouldn't be.

[MNdible]

The note about Webster school re-opening to serve downtown residents got me wondering -- has there been any meaningful discussion to extend the Cedar Lake Trail across the Mississippi on the piers of the railroad bridge? No doubt, it wouldn't be cheap, but it seems like a great opportunity.

[grant1simons2]

Funny was just thinking about this last night when I was looking around google maps.

[mattaudio]

Except for the pier that supported the curve into the old Great Northern Station, there are no piers that aren't supporting the active double-track railroad.

[MNdible]

Depending on the condition of the other piers, though, it's entirely possible that a bike / walking path could be cantilevered or braced off of the existing piers.

Alternately, in my experience, they're only using one set of the tracks on the bridge itself.